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Every gardener knows that in order for a fruit tree to bring generous yields, it must be healthy. And the pear is no exception. Read this article and find out which pear pests and diseases are the most dangerous and how to deal with them. This information will help to determine in time that the tree has begun to hurt and you can provide timely assistance to it.
Diseases
Various ailments begin to manifest themselves in the spring – delicate green leaves turn yellow, covered with bloom and dry out. What to do and what is the reason? These unpleasant manifestations are the first signs that the pear began to hurt. Consider the most common and dangerous infections, their signs and methods of dealing with pathogens.
Black Cancer
This disease is also called “Anton fire”. It affects the bark, skeletal branches, foliage and fruits. First, small wounds appear in the form of spots on the affected areas, which eventually progress in size. Spots of bright brown color appear along the diameter of these wounds. If you notice red spots on leaves or fruits, these are also undeniable signs of this infection. Black cancer contributes to the appearance of black rot on the fruits: they decrease in size and gradually mummify.
In order for this infection not to affect all your fruit trees, it is necessary to use preventive measures: in the fall, when the leaves begin to fall off, they must be collected and burned. Bark areas affected by black cancer should be removed with a sharp knife, capturing at least 2 cm of healthy wood when pruning. The resulting wounds are disinfected with a solution of copper sulphate or a special mixture of mullein and clay is prepared, with which all cuts are covered.
fruit rot
If the fruits began to rot, then know that this is facilitated by a fungal disease – maniliasis. Mass infection reaches in the second half of summer. First, small brown spots appear on the fruit. Over time, these spots grow and cover the entire area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe fetus. This pear disease is characterized by the fact that the affected fruits do not crumble, but remain on the stalks and contribute to the spread of infection. Patients with maniliasis fruits become unusable.
To stop the spread of the disease, it is necessary to collect and destroy all infected fruits, and they should be removed both from the branches and those that have already fallen off the ground. Then it is recommended to spray with Bordeaux liquid or copper chloride (in autumn and spring).
destroyed
This disease is considered the most dangerous and insidious, as it affects the leaves, fruits, shoots and flowers of the fruit tree. If the plant began to get sick with scab, then without timely assistance, in most cases it dies. Scab development is facilitated by long, heavy rains and cool weather.: small spots are first formed on the foliage, which gradually grow and become large (from 2-4 millimeters to 2-3 cm). In the event that pear trees are planted very close to each other, this does not contribute to ventilation and will also be a favorable condition for the development of scab.
If the defeat of the foliage is massive, this will definitely affect the harvest: the fruits will be small and in small quantities. Scab can also affect the fruits themselves – they are covered with many small dark spots that merge over time into a large velvet spot. The fruits become hard, crack and unfit for consumption. Measures for the prevention and control of the disease boil down to the fact that in the autumn it is necessary to collect fallen leaves, and with the advent of spring, spray with Bordeaux liquid and a 7% solution of urea, and the land around the tree must also be cultivated.
Cytosporosis
This infection affects the bark and has a second name – stem rot. Weakened plants suffer from infection, regardless of age. Both sun and frost burns contribute to the appearance, as well as drought and violations in agricultural practices. In the course of the disease, the bark changes its usual color to dark red and gradually dries up. Old pears often suffer from this disease. If the disease has just begun and the fungus has not yet damaged the cambium, you should remove the affected areas with a sharp knife and treat them with a solution of copper sulfate or garden pitch. But it would be better not to treat, but to prevent this disease. To do this, it is necessary to whitewash the trunks in the fall, prevent damage to the bark and remove all dead branches in a timely manner.
Rust
The causative agent of this pear disease is a pathogenic microscopic fungus. It infects the foliage, which is covered with bright orange spots and may fall prematurely. Also, the disease significantly weakens the plant, reducing its immunity. To combat this disease, you need to get rid of the junipers growing in your garden, as they are carriers of the disease. Affected leaves and fruits must be disposed of. Timely spraying should be carried out (in spring – before the growing season and in autumn – after leaf fall), both biological and chemical (sulfur, Bordeaux mixture).
Mučnistaâ rosa
When describing pear diseases, one should not forget about such a fungal infection as powdery mildew. Basically, leaves of young shoots suffer from this disease, inflorescences and fruits are less often affected. Affected leaves stop growing and developing, gradually curl up, most of them fall off. Shoots that have been affected by this infection slow down their development, deform and often dry out. On inflorescences, the infection manifests itself in the form of a white coating. Flowers affected by powdery mildew fall off, and those that remain do not give ovaries. Up to 80% of the entire crop can be affected by this fungal disease.
Warm weather combined with low humidity greatly accelerate the spread of the fungus. Powdery mildew control methods include regular watering, timely cutting and elimination of diseased shoots in autumn or early spring, as well as the use of chemicals (colloidal sulfur solution and others).
Milky luster
This disease affects both young and old plants. The causes of this pear disease are improper care, as well as weather conditions such as dry air, direct sunlight and a sharp fluctuation in ambient temperature throughout the day, which contribute to the development of a non-parasitic form of this disease. Affected leaves acquire a milky, slightly pearly hue. Both several individual branches and the entire plant can be affected.
There is also a parasitic form of infection, its causative agent is a wood-destroying fungus. With this form of infection, the foliage does not change its shape. Only its color suffers: it acquires a metallic hue, and the leaves themselves become brittle and fall off earlier. In order to prevent the development of a milky sheen, it is necessary to properly and regularly care for the tree, and to carry out agrotechnical measures in a timely manner. If you follow all the rules, then the symptoms of pear disease will pass and she will fully recover.
Video “Processing pear from diseases”
This video will tell you how to properly process pear varieties from pests.
Pear pests and their control
Now let’s get acquainted with the main pests that can harm pears.
green aphid
This insect parasitizes the plant, sucking out all the cell sap from the leaves, which leads to improper development of shoots and stop their growth. Green aphids are capable of producing sweetish secretions that contribute to the development of such a harmful parasite as soot fungus.
To combat aphids, the plants are sprayed with the help of special preparations. The procedure should be carried out three times. The first spraying is carried out before the leaf buds open. To do this, use the drug “Kinmiks”. The second – before flowering buds, using the drug “Agravertin”. And the third – when young ovaries appear, the plant is treated with the Iskra biological agent.
They also use folk remedies for spraying: a decoction of chamomile, dandelion and garlic. A solution of ordinary laundry soap is very effective in combating green aphids.
Pear fruit cake
Butterflies lay their eggs on the pear tree. After a while, caterpillars appear from them. They also infect the pulp. Summer pear varieties most often suffer, since, unlike winter ones, their fruit tissue is very soft and easily damaged by caterpillars.
For prevention and control, the drug “Agravertin” is used before and after flowering. On the 20th day after flowering, the drug “Kinmiks” is used. A month after flowering, the final treatment with the Iskra preparation is carried out.
Also, one should not forget about the autumn harvesting of foliage with its subsequent burning.
Pear sucker or leaf blotch
These parasites cause considerable harm to the tree: they suck out all the cell sap, produce substances that are a favorable environment for the soot fungus. Due to the lack of cell sap, young buds, buds and foliage begin to shrivel and fall off. The fruits are deformed, the taste is lost, and the yield indicators suffer. To combat this pest, it is necessary to carry out spraying with Karbofos in early spring, before flowering. After flowering, re-spraying is carried out, while using the drug “Iskra” or “Agravertin”.
To combat the larvae of these pests, folk remedies are also actively used: they use decoctions from ordinary yarrow, tobacco dust, dandelion or pharmacy chamomile.
pear mite
These parasites overwinter in the dead bark, and can also be located under the scales of young buds. With the advent of spring, the pear mite moves to the inside of the leaves and sucks the juices out of them, as a result, swellings appear on the affected leaves. The activity of the pear mite can contribute to the disruption of the normal development of the tree: the shoots are deformed, the foliage falls off prematurely. To combat this pest, spraying with a solution of colloidal sulfur is effective.
Leaflet
This is a small moving caterpillar. It affects only the foliage: due to the actions of the caterpillar, they fold into a tube and decrease in size. In order to prevent the appearance of this pest in your garden, even before bud break, trees are treated with the Tsimbush preparation.
In this article, you learned which pear diseases and pests are most dangerous for this plant. We advise you to regularly carry out preventive examinations of leaves, bark, as well as fruits on a fruit tree. If you find even minor changes, it is better to immediately carry out the necessary therapeutic measures. Remember that diseases develop very rapidly, and small pests can cause irreparable harm to a fruit tree in a short period of time. Do not forget also about preventive spraying. After all, thanks to them, you can prevent the development of most diseases.
